Two years after receiving death threats, a man who was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse at a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, wishes to alter his identity.
Tuesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gaige Grosskreutz submitted a petition in secret to change his official name.
Grosskreutz stated through his attorney, “Yes, after two years of death threats from right-wing extremists, I made the painful decision to alter my name in order to protect myself and my family.”
Grosskreutz told CNN in September 2020 that he and members of his family, including his 65-year-old grandmother, were receiving death threats from Rittenhouse supporters.
“But the actual story here is that a procedure meant to safeguard and shield persons in risk was subverted, and sealed information was leaked to the right-wing media within hours of my filing,” said the statement.
Grosskreutz reportedly requested an investigation by the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court after the leak of the sealed petition to the Kenosha County Eye, which published the story on Wednesday, according to the Journal. According to The New York Times, the outlet is operated by Kevin Mathewson, who used Facebook to form a group to safeguard the city from disturbance during the protests.
The Times claimed that Mathewson denied having any communication with Rittenhouse during the incident in Kenosha.
Kenosha County prosecutors accused Rittenhouse with multiple offenses, including two charges of murder. During civil turmoil following the police death of Jacob Blake, Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and injured Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse argued that he acted in self-defense and was acquitted on November 19, 2021, after pleading not guilty to the counts against him.
Grosskreutz told the jury during his trial that he attended the Kenosha protests because he was a certified EMT and paramedic and believed he could assist anyone who was wounded.
The Journal stated that Grosskreutz’s attorney, Kimberley Motley, has requested documents of those who had access to the petition.
Before publication, neither Grosskreutz, Mathewson, nor the Milwaukee County Clerk responded to Insider’s requests for comment.
